


Overworked

by amorluzymelodia



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Final Exams, Friendship, No Romance, Werewolf Hunt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 18:13:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11236476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amorluzymelodia/pseuds/amorluzymelodia
Summary: Request: Can I ask for an one shot where the reader is on the final two weeks of the semester and collapses and TFW takes care of her (no romance) please?





	Overworked

You were so immersed in your studies that you hardly noticed two men sit down next to you. It wasn't until one of them tapped you lightly on the shoulder and you looked up, startled.

"Sorry," he said, and when you looked up you saw none other than Sam Winchester staring down at you. “Y/N?”

 You blinked a few times, trying to shake the equations that were still floating around in your head and when the fact that Sam and Dean Winchester were standing in front of you sunk in you smiled widely.

“Sam!” you stood up shakily—running on coffee and little sleep didn’t really improve your balance—and gave Sam a tight hug before turning to Dean, who picked you up and kissed your temple. You laughed. “What are you guys doing here?” then the reality sunk in and your face fell. “Is there a case here?” you whispered.

You’d been out of hunting for over a year now, choosing to get out of the life and go back to school. Even though you’d loved hunting, and saving people, you wanted to do it with a degree. And it had been going fairly well for a while now, but truth be told you were itching to get back on the road. And here you were, a case landing directly on your lap, and it was during fucking finals week.

Sam looked around and nodded, sitting down at the table, you and Dean following his lead.

“Looks like a couple of local girls going missing after visiting a local bar. Didn’t think much of it until we matched up the time of the month—“

“It’s smack dab during the middle of the lunar cycle.” You finished his thought for him and he nodded. “Shit. Fucking werewolves.”

“Y’know I gotta admit, Y/N I thought you would’ve caught wind of this.” Dean said, only a hint of accusation in his tone. “I mean, a case pops up in the middle of your town and you have no idea?”

Despite the guilt and anger that rose up when you realized his point, you just sighed and shook your head. “I got out of the game more than a year ago, Dean.” You said, trying to to sound too defensive. “And like you said, even you two didn’t think much of it at first.”

Dean didn’t look convinced. “Yeah but—“

“C’mon man cut her some slack!” Sam cut in and you were grateful for his intervention. “Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you here.” He gestured to the myriad of books and notes you had spread out on the table in front of you and you groaned, running a hand through your greasy hair.

“Tell me about it! I knew going back to school wouldn’t be easy but trust me I’d take a werewolf over theoretical physics any day!”

Dean laughed but Sam just looked at you and nodded sympathetically, and you knew he was remembering his time at Stanford.

“Well we’ll let you get back to it,” Sam said and you frowned.

“You guys need help with the case?” you asked, confused but Sam just shook his head and stood up, Dean following his lead.

“I think we’ve got it, but we’ll be sure to call you if we need you.”

You stood up and hugged them again. “You’d better. Great to see you guys again!”

“Yeah you too, Y/N.” Sam said fondly.

Dean punched you lightly on the shoulder. “We’re definitely getting drinks after this!” he said and you laughed, nodding and sitting back down at your messy table.

As they walked away you noticed everyone in the library staring at them, and then back at you like they were wondering why in the world they were socializing with you. It just occurred to you that you probably looked like hell on two legs. It had been a few days since your last shower—who has time to shower when finals are coming up anyway?—and you were pretty sure you'd been wearing the same flannel for at least a week. Since you hadn't been out of the library and your dorm for the last two weeks straight, you hadn't put makeup on and the stress was making you break out like a teenager. Of course the Winchesters—two men with the physique of Greek gods—would show up today of all days, after you hadn’t seen them in a year. Then you chastised yourself for thinking they would even spare a second glance at you. Though you’d been friends with them for a while now, you knew they didn’t think of you in that way, and to be honest, neither did you. They were just good friends, and amazing hunters. But still, it does deflate a girls ego when she sees two handsome men and she’s not looking her best.

For the next five hours or so you tried to focus on studying, only stopping to buy yet another cup of coffee from the little kiosk outside the library. Once you felt you'd absorbed all you could of your economics notes, you moved on to statistics and then sociology. Before you knew it, your alarm on your phone went off, telling you it was time for your 7am shift at the diner. Despite how completely done-in you were, you forced yourself to pack up and head home to change clothes. You worked at the diner part time to earn some money, since you the wealthiest of people, and you were already working overtime on school to keep your various scholarships. First, you stopped to pick up a doughnut and yet another coffee and headed to work. 

When you got to work your friend Clara was just leaving, after working the night shift. She looked at you with sympathy as you hung up your jacket and pulled on your apron.

"Another all-nighter?" she asked and you just grimaced at her and nodded.

"You're not the only one," Clara said, pointing to a booth in the corner of the diner. "Those three have been chugging coffee since last night. Working on something big from the looks of it." 

You were surprised to see none other than Sam and Dean and Castiel the angel sitting in the corner booth, with computers and books open in front of them. They had empty plates next to them and coffee cups and you knew they’d been researching like mad. Maybe hunting wasn’t so different from school after all.

“They’re in your section,” Clara said conspiratorially as she pulled on her jacket and clocked out. “Congratulations.” She winked at you and you rolled your eyes before grabbing your note pad and pen and heading over to their table.

“Fancy seeing you here, fellas.” You said and the three of them looked up, smiles lighting up Sam and Dean’s faces. Castiel however, surprised you by standing up and wrapping you in a tight, albeit awkward hug. You laughed when he pulled back, patting him on the shoulder.

“You’re working the early shift?” Dean questioned and you nodded. “After studying all night?”

“Stolen credit cards and hustling pool don’t cover college tuition,” you said quietly and hid your yawn behind your hand. “Can I get you guys anything?”

Dean held up his coffee cup. “More joe would be awesome.” you nodded and looked to Sam, knowing Cas didn’t eat or drink. Sam shook his head and you went to grab the coffee pot for Dean, refilling his mug before heading back behind the counter.

When you worked the early shift it was your job to clean and make sure everything was set for the breakfast rush, which was tiny in this town but still, you were good at your job and got everything ready quickly, though you found yourself yawning more and more. In fact, when you stopped to check in on the Winchesters and Castiel, you were having trouble keeping your eyes open. Luckily there were only two other patrons in the diner at that point, and they weren’t in your section, so you took the chance to sit down at the booth with them.

“So you guys figure out who the wolf is yet?” you asked, taking a long drink from Dean’s coffee mug before he snatched it away from you with a lighthearted smack on your shoulder.

“We think so,” Sam said, tapping away at his computer. “It’s a college town, so there’s always people coming and going and moving around, which makes it hard to pin down one person. But—“ he spun his computer around to show you something. “The killings started just after this guy moved here.”

“Randall Collins,” you said, but the name didn’t ring a bell, though while you were here you hadn’t exactly made all that many friends. “His address isn’t that far from where the girls went missing,” you noticed, reading over their notes. “So you guys talked to neighbors and stuff?”

“Just about to do that, actually.” Sam said and they began packing up their stuff.

“Good, I’m coming with.” You said but you stood up too fast and all the blood rushed to your head, causing you to stagger backwards and Dean to catch you before you fell.

“Whoa! Y/N you’re running on empty. We can handle this okay? Go home and get some sleep.” Sam said but you just shook your head.

“There’s a monster in my town and I’m going to damn well help you stop it.” Though you tried to sound firm you knew your voice was weak and croaky from the lack of sleep and water you had lately. “My shift ends in fifteen minutes.”

Dean spoke up, a hand still on your elbow like he was afraid you’d fall again. “Look, kid let Cas and I canvas the neighbors, you let Sam take you back to your apartment and get showered and rest up okay?” when you opened your mouth to argue he cut you off. “Y/N you live in this town, the neighbors are bound to recognize you and if you come around asking questions they’re not exactly going to be convinced we’re FBI are they?”

His logic was airtight and you grumbled, but you reluctantly agreed.

“You guys can meet up with us once we confirm it’s this Randall guy,” Dean said and he and Cas headed out.

Sam waited around for you to finish your shift and the two of you drove back to your apartment, which was in a state of disarray.

“Sorry,” you said. “Haven’t had time to clean up lately.”

“End of the year always gets crazy.” Sam said and you told him to make himself comfortable while you gathered your shower stuff.

You took an extremely quick shower and then hurried back out to the living room, where you started to clean up the dirty dishes, old pizza boxes and various notes and books scattered around. There was a lot more than you thought and after the living room was semi-decent you started on your laundry. Sam watched you for a bit and then stopped you as you hurried through the room, putting his hands on your shoulders.

“When is the last time you slept, Y/N?” he asked but you just shook him off.

“I was a hunter, Sam.” You said, pushing past him. “I’m used to running on barely any sleep.”

Sam didn’t look convinced and followed you into your kitchen. “Okay, well when did you eat something that wasn’t reheated or bathed in grease and caffeine?”

You let out a long sigh, starting the laundry machine. “I’m _fine_ , Sam. Really.”

He opened his mouth to say something but just then your phone rang and you hurried to answer it when you saw it was a call from Dean.

“Hey, it is Randall!” he said and you heard the Impala’s engine rev in the background. “He’s holed up at an old warehouse on the outskirts of town, meet us there in ten.”

“Got it.” You said and looked to Sam, repeating what Dean had said. “Let’s get going!”

You were out the door before Sam could argue. The drive didn’t take long and you were prepared with your arsenal still in your trunk, you may have been out of the game, but you didn’t want to be unprepared. You still cleaned your gear regularly and grabbed the gun you knew was loaded with silver bullets. There was adrenaline pumping through your system and usually that was a good thing—it kept you focused. Mixed with the sleep deprivation and lack of proper nutrition, however, you were feeling shaky and skittish. Sam seemed to notice and put a hand on your arm.

“You good?” he asked but you just shook him off.

“Aces. Ready?”

Though he didn’t look convinced, Sam nodded and the two of you went around to the back, where you saw Dean and Cas, crouched behind a shattered window.

“Randall’s in there,” Dean said quietly. “Sam, you and Y/N go around the back door, see if you can sneak up on him. Cas and I will go through the front. Good luck everybody.”

The four of you broke off and you and Sam headed back around the decrepit building. You got through the door and into the main room without being noticed, but just as you rounded a corner there was Randall, claws and fangs out, ready to attack. He knocked your arm to the side, and you fired a round into the wall next to his head. Sam jumped in and shot him in the shoulder but all that did was slow him down. Randall grabbed you around the neck and held you in front of him, as human shield. When you struggled he brought his fist up to your head and hit you, hard, adding to your current dizziness. Your heart was pounding and you were breathing hard, but the adrenaline was wearing off as your body’s exhaustion caught up with you. The next few moments were a blur as another gunshot sounded and Randall turned, to see Dean and Cas entering the room. Randall pushed you to the ground, in favor of running off on his own, and though you tried to get up you felt black closing in around you and you couldn’t seem to get your legs to work. The last thing you saw was Sam leaning over you, shouting your name.

When you woke up you were surprised to see that you were in your bedroom at your apartment. You groaned and rolled over.  

“You’re awake.” You turned to see Cas sitting on the bed next to you, reading a book. “How do you feel?”

“What happened?” you asked, sitting up slowly, your head pounding.

“You collapsed,” Cas said, handing you a large glass of water and some pain killers. “Take these. And drink all of that.” He said sternly and you refrained from rolling your eyes. However, when you took a sip, you realized how thirsty you were and had no trouble downing the entire glass in one go.

“The—the wolf? What happened?” you asked, getting nervous. Where were Sam and Dean? How did you get back here? Were they hurt? Were they dead? What happened?

Cas seemed to sense your stress and put a hand on your shoulder lightly.

“Sam and Dean took care of it.” He assured you. “When you collapsed I stopped to make sure you were alright, and they finished off the werewolf. When they killed him they had be take you home, to look after you.”

“I’m not an invalid, Cas.” You said defiantly. “I don’t need a nurse.”

“Says the girl who collapsed on a routine wolf hunt.” A voice said and you looked to see Dean standing in the doorway, his arms crossed. Sam walked up behind him, a bowl and a fork in his hand.

“I’m fine.” It sounded childish, and you were lying but you didn’t like them looking at you like you were helpless. “Just need to catch up on some sleep is all.”

Cas stood up to refill your water glass and Dean took his place on the bed next to you. Sam handed you the bowl in his hand, which you now saw contained a salad, with mixed greens, vegetables and grilled chicken.

“How many finals do you have coming up, Y/N?” Sam asked knowingly.

You did a mental count. “Five? Six?” you frowned. “So? What does that have to do with—“

“You’re exhausted, kiddo.” Dean said. “And I don’t mean, stayed up to watch Game of Thrones exhausted. You’ve been working yourself into the ground. School, work, and then taking on this hunt? You’re not taking care of yourself.”

“It’s just a bit of stress, I’m fine.”

Sam shook his head and tapped the bowl, prompting you to take a bite, and your empty stomach made a loud noise. You blushed.

“Y/N you can’t do this to yourself okay?” Sam said, looking at you sympathetically. “You’re working yourself into the ground, and that’s not healthy. So—“ he reached over and took your phone, turning it off. “We’re turning off your alarms, taking your books and making you get some rest.”

“What about my exams? I can’t just—“

“Already talked to your professors,” Dean said smugly. “Went is as FBI and said you were a witness in a federal investigation, and they were to grant you an extention on your exams. So for the next two weeks you are going to do nothing but watch crappy TV, eat food that’s actually good for you—“ he rolled his eyes at that but you smiled. “and get some actual sleep.”

“You guys don’t have to do this,” you said, more than a bit embarrassed.

Cas came back in and placed the full glass of water on your nightstand, before putting a hand on your shoulder kindly.

“This is what family does, Y/N.” he said and you smiled. “We take care of one another.”

You smiled and sighed, leaning back against the pillows.

“So…Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings?” you asked and Dean and Sam laughed, while Cas smiled.

The four of you cuddled up on your bed, popping in the Fellowship of the Ring while you ate your salad and drank your water, feeling something akin to peace for the first time in weeks. About fifteen minutes into the movie Dean looked next to him and saw that you’d fallen asleep. He nudged Sam and they both smiled, getting off the bed and covering you with your blanket. It was the first real sleep you’d had in ages.

 


End file.
